Improvement in harvesters



.a portion of the frame A. Fig. 8 is aplan view 4 sented by the dottedlines in the drawings.

by merely driving the team around the ma- UNITED STATES larenr @ri-rica.

DAVID VAN KLEECK, OF COHOGTON, NEIV YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

` Specification forming part of Letters-Patent No. 27,583, dated March20, 1860.

To all whom it 'may concern: l

Be it known that I, DAVID VAN KLEncK, of Cohocton, in the county ofSteuben and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Machines for Reapin g and Mowing; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full and exact description thereof,reference beingdlad to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 isa side elevation of my machine, the cutter-bar being shown in section.Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section ofthe cutter-bar and ofthe top of theframe, showing the manner of reversing the tongue. Fig. 4 is a plan viewof the sickle f removed.

Similar letters refer to corresponding parts in all of the figures.

Myimprovements relate to reversing certain portions of the machine, sothat it will operate equally well without the necessity of turningaround, and to regulating the draft to obviate side strain.

As represented in the drawings, A A is the frame, which is ofquadrangular form, as shown in Fig. 3, and supported by two driving-Wheels, B,one upon either side, and a caster-wheel, C, at lthe opposite end.Gearing d on the inside of the driving-wheel drives the spur-wheel e. 0nthe same shaft the large ruiter-wheel F gears with a pinion on thecrank-shaft (not shown in the drawings,) which imparts reciprocatin gmotion to the sickle f, through a pitman or connecting-bar, in theordinary manner.

Gr is the tongue or draft-pole, H, the drivers seat 5 I I, steps oneither side of the cutter-bar, on which the raker stands; K, the reel,and g IL the band-pulleys by which it is driven.

rEhe tongue G is connected with the reversible bar L, which is pivotedat the center of the machine by a bolt at j, which secures itto across-beam, A', of the frame. A guard or superframe,D, covers threesides of the frame A, leaving sufficient space between them for the barL to pass, which swings around. from one end of the machine to theother, as repre- This enablesthe machine to be worked back and forth onthe same side of a field of grain chine in changing, which remainsstationary meanwhile. This feature is of great value in working uponuneven ground or on a side-hill, where turning would be difficult, andwhere the encountering of ascending anddescending ground, as in cuttingaround a field, makes it peculiarly laborious for the team. It alsoenables the operator to take advantage o f the direction in which thegrain inclines, if lodged or acted upon by a strong wind. It alsosecures another important advantage-wiz., adjusting the pole to thecenter of the line of draft, so as to overcome the side drafta mostformidable difficulty. This will be understood by reference to Fig. 3,where it is seen that the cutting, which occasions by far the greatestresistance to the draft, is done at f, or at one side of the frame andtrack of the machine. By placing the bolt j, by which the tongue isconnected, atthe proper point between the center of the frame A and theplace of cutting, where the resistance ofthe carriage and the cutter-barare equal, an equipoise is obtained and all side draft is overcome. Aclutch-lever, I, at each end of the guard-frame, drops over the bar Land holds it securely in either position.

To qualify the machine for cutting either way a double sickle isprovided having teeth on both sides. For convenience of construction twosickles are used, each attached to a bar working in a groove or way ofits own on the cutter-bar, but both having the same motion. The plate llies directly over them, and above and in the center of this the apron mis pivoted in its bearings at each end, so as to turn either way. Itsofce is to prevent the cut grain from falling on the lin gers of therear sickle. The reel K is also reversible, having the bearings of itsspindles in the link-bars O, which are pivoted one to the standard P andthe other to the frame A. It is easily thrown over by the operator fromone side to the other, making a. half-revolution around the axis of thepulley g against the arc a. The changes are the work ofa moment, and thedriver need not leave his seat, which also turns on a pivot, to effectthem.

The farthest end of the cutter-bar R is supported by a small roller, g,running on the surface of the ground; and the bar being hinged to theframe ats, it rises and falls to adapt itself to the undulations of theground without interfering with the motions of the sickles,

which are also hinged at t to the pitman u, which connects them with thecrank. The part which forms the hinges s is a slotted plate, w, held tothe frame A by bolts passing through the slots. By loosening the boltsit may be raised or lowered to adjust the sickle to the proper distancefrom the ground.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The arrangement of the reversible draftbar L, connecting the tongue Gwith the frame A between the frames A D in such a manner that Yit may bereversed without turning the machine, substantially as herein set forth.

2. The adjustable reel K, made to change from side to side of theCutter-bar Without unbanding by means Of the shifting links O andpulleys g h, substantially as described.

3. The reverse .cutting or two-edged sickle f, in combination with thecenter guard-plate, l, and shifting apron m, substantially in the mannerand for the purposes set forth.

DAVID VAN KLDEOK.

Witnesses:

MYRON POWERS, L. R. HOOD.

